Toy vehicle with foldable wheels

Abstract

A toy vehicle having wheels which may be folded to a horizontal position under the vehicle by squeezing a hand grip. Two elongated axle members are rotatably engaged to the sides of the vehicle. The wheels are rotatably mounted on front and rear axles attached to the elongated axle members. A pivot plate is rotatably mounted to the bottom of the toy vehicle. When the hand grip is squeezed, a link connected to a trigger member causes the plate to rotate. The rotating plate then causes two slotted links to rotate the elongated axle members. As a result, the wheels mounted on the axle members also rotate until they reach a substantially horizontal position under the vehicle. The wheels remain in this folded position until the hand grip is released. When the grip is released, springs return the wheels to a vertical position. The slotted links are designed to allow the wheels at just one side of the toy vehicle to be folded. This feature helps to prevent damage to the toy vehicle, for example, when it is dropped, allowing the wheels at only one of the sides to fold upon impact.

We claim: 
     
       1. A toy vehicle comprising: a body portion;   two elongated axle members rotatably engaged to said body portion, said axle members located at opposite sides of said body portion;   front and rear wheels rotatably engaged to said elongated axle members, one each of said front and rear wheels being engaged to each of said axle members;   folding means operably mounted on said body portion for rotating said wheels from a vertical position to a substantially horizontal position; and   hand grip means for activating said folding means, said folding means including (a) a pivot plate rotatably mounted to said body portion, said plate having pins attached thereto, (b) two slotted links each having an elongated slot passing through one end thereof, each of said elongated slots operably engaging one of said pins attached to said plate and the other end of each of said slotted links rotatably engaged to one of said elongated axle members, and (c) a trigger link having one end thereof engaged to one of said pins attached to said plate and the other end thereof engaged to said hand grip means.   
     
     
       2. The toy vehicle of claim 1 wherein said hand grip means includes a trigger member having one end thereof rotatably engaged to said body portion and the other end thereof attached to said trigger link. 
     
     
       3. The toy vehicle of claim 2 further comprising an adjustable wing rotatably engaged to the top of said body portion. 
     
     
       4. A toy vehicle comprising: a body portion;   two elongated axle members rotatably engaged to said body portion, said axle members located at opposite sides of said body portion;   front and rear wheels rotatably engaged to said elongated axle members, one each of said front and rear wheels being engaged to each of said axle members;   a pivot plate rotatably mounted to said body portion;   link means rotatably engaged to said elongated axle members and operably coupled to said pivot plate for rotating said wheels from a vertical position to a substantially horizontal position;   hand grip means operably coupled to said pivot plate for causing said pivot plate to rotate; and   spring means for returning said wheels to said vertical position, said pivot plate having pins attached thereto and said link means including two slotted links each having an elongated slot passing through one end thereof, each of said elongated slots operably engaging one of said pins attached to said plate and the other end of each of said slotted links rotatably engaged to one of said elongated axle members.   
     
     
       5. The toy vehicle of claim 4 further comprises a trigger link having one end thereof engaged to one of said pins attached to said plate and the other end thereof engaged to said hand grip means. 
     
     
       6. A toy vehicle, comprising: a body portion having a large aperture passing therethrough near the rear end thereof;   two elongated axle members rotatably engaged to said body portion, said axle members located at opposite sides of said body portion, each of said axle members having front and rear axles attached thereto;   front wheels rotatably engaged to said front axles;   rear wheels rotatably engaged to said rear axles;   a pivot plate rotatably mounted to said body portion, said plate having pins attached thereto;   two slotted links each having an elongated slot passing through one end thereof, each of said elongated slots operably engaging one of said pins attached to said plate and the other end of each of said slotted links rotatably engaged to one of said elongated axle members;   a trigger link having one end thereof engaged to one of said pins attached to said plate;   a trigger member located adjacent said large aperture in said body portion, said trigger member having one end thereof rotatably engaged to said body portion and the other end thereof attached to the other end of said trigger link; and   two torsion springs, each of said springs being attached to one of said elongated axle members and to said body portion.